Unrest in Iran part of a vicious cycle

From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:

Chicago-based Islamic world studies professor Ahmad Sadri calls Iran “the platypus of humanity’s political evolution.”

By that, Sadri means the Islamic republic is a strange animal, an amalgamation of different political systems — theocratic, democratic and authoritarian.

Sadri’s analysis is a useful backdrop for understanding what’s happening a week into the surprising outbreak of countrywide protests that have rattled Iran’s theocratic dictators and left at least 21 protesters dead as of Tuesday.

Despite a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that led to most international sanctions being lifted, Iran’s economy remains stagnant, and unemployment — especially among the young — is far too high.

Meanwhile, a tech-savvy population, half under the age of 30 — in a nation of an estimated 48 million smartphones — yearns for more social freedoms. But they have been frustrated by the country’s ruling mullahs, who show few signs of loosening their strict, fundamentalist grip on the country.

Sadri argues the country’s makeup is inherently contradictory and therefore unstable.

“Deep within Iran’s authoritarian system there is a tiny democratic heart, complete with elective, presidential and parliamentary chambers, desperately beating against an unyielding, theocratic exoskeleton,” Sadri wrote on aljazeera.com on Monday.

The violent and repressive Revolutionary Guard claims the current round of protests is over after it led a severe crackdown. In the aftermath, according to Sadri, the cycle of repression and building frustration will begin anew.